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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23800885">As Good As A Man's Heart</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fan_Galaxy/pseuds/Fan_Galaxy'>Fan_Galaxy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Black Clover - Tabata Yuki (Anime &amp; Manga)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>But whatever, Gen, They're the only two that are rlly mentioned, this is just kinda a ton of hcs tbh</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 23:46:47</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,100</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23800885</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fan_Galaxy/pseuds/Fan_Galaxy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>'A grimoire is as good as a man's heart.'</p><p>This is a well-known phrase in the Clover kingdom, where magic is prevalent and almost expected from every human.</p><p>A grimoire is a man's heart. All know this to be true; they are gifts upon those with mana from the Kingdom to help gain strength. And everyone has mana.</p><p>All except for one, of course.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Asta &amp; Yuno (Black Clover)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>74</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>As Good As A Man's Heart</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>So this is kinda just a short thing of like...metaphors and kinda-headcanons?? But I figure it couldn't hurt to post it anyways.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>'A grimoire is as good as a man's heart.'</p><p>This is a well-known phrase in the Clover kingdom, where magic is prevalent and almost expected from every human.</p><p>This is only one of many reasons that grimoire stealing is not only illegal, but <em>highly</em> frowned upon, for taking a man's grimoire is as good as stealing everything that makes him whole.</p><p>A grimoire tells the story of the past, in the spells it contains, and the story of the future, in the spells it may gain.</p><p>But as much as it is someone's heart, it shouldn't be all that people see.</p><p>That's what Yuno and Asta believe.</p><p>They quickly grew tired of everyone seeing Yuno's grimoire as all he is; not 'Yuno', but 'the four leaf boy'.</p><p>Lest we not forget the day it arrived, the day that man tried to steal it.</p><p>And the day Asta gained his own.</p><p>A grimoire is a man's heart. All know this to be true; they are gifts upon those with mana from the Kingdom to help gain strength. And everyone has mana.</p><p>All except for one, of course.</p><p>Asta won't deny he was a little...heartbroken when his grimoire never arrived.</p><p>No spells for his grimoire to tell of. No new ones for it to obtain.</p><p>But even when he gained his own, gazing down on it that night with a light in his eyes, something dark loomed behind it.</p><p>This was not his heart.</p><p>It was something whispered in the back of Asta's mind. This grimoire wasn't really his; it didn't feel like his. Too dark, too tattered, with swords he'd never seen before.</p><p>No new ones when emotional milestones were hit; only ones he found in the great unknown, adventuring, marking his days as objects more than embodiments of his character.</p><p>But he swore to himself he'd make it his own. Swore to himself he'd make these swords his own, carry on...whatever legacy of whoever made them.</p><p>(Part of him knew they weren't made by mana.</p><p>He was not gifted, not in that sense, and they emitted the exact opposite of the mana everyone else seemed to obtain.)</p><p>And along his journey, he saw...odd hearts.</p><p>It's well known, but not said aloud, that a grimoire's state may speak of the owner's, though this is often only exhibited when the <em>owner</em> is the one putting themselves through hardships.</p><p>(Anyone who has hurt another enough to dirty their grimoire is looked down upon, no matter what.</p><p>Only true scum would scuff another's heart.)</p><p>When Asta saw Mars' grimoire, it clicked before he even saw his fire magic.</p><p>This man is not of one heart, but of <em>two.</em></p><p>And he asked himself, <em>what in the lord is the Diamond kingdom doing?</em></p><p>How do you take someone's heart and stitch it with another's?</p><p>Without a heart, what is a human?</p><p>Dead.</p><p>So Asta gave a grim prayer to them, wherever they may be.</p><p>Gave a grim prayer to this man-this <em>child</em> who was likely not much older than him, even.</p><p>Gave a grim prayer to whoever else they may be doing this to.</p><p>Seethed silently at these terrible monsters who are putting people through Hell.</p><p>And carried on with the weight of two stitched-together hearts on his shoulders.</p><p>And someday, he'll see dirty grimoires.</p><p>Grimoires covered in filth and grime and scratches, with little spells engraved in them.</p><p>And he'll take just a moment to curse whoever dirtied it and pray for the soul attached to it.</p><p>(He's always been diligent with sympathy towards his enemies, but with them, people with dirtied grimoires and hurt hearts-<em>whether visible on their heart or not</em>-he's always given extra care.)</p><p>Sometimes, he thinks of his own grimoire.</p><p>Dirtied, old, tattered.</p><p>And he wonders if that reflects on him at all.</p><p>All of that talk of how useless he would be and was when he was younger.</p><p>Years and years of pushing forward with determination.</p><p>He wondered a moment if this is where all of the gross, terrible weakness went-the want to give up, the care for those words, the deep cuts they gave that he always ignored.</p><p>It was a good way to live, he thought-ignoring the pain, since dwelling in it would only hurt worse. And he wasn't wrong.</p><p>But maybe this grimoire took the hit for him, in a way.</p><p>Or maybe it was more of an object and less his heart, simply worn down by time and the simple elements.</p><p>It made him wonder.</p><p>And when he wonders, he takes it to Yuno; the more introspective of the two, where Asta had the smarts in emotions in the first place.</p><p>Usually, Yuno would ask the questions and Asta would have the answers.</p><p>But this was less emotions and more a couple deep thoughts.</p><p>So he asked Yuno if he had time for a visit one day, getting through dinner with the Bulls and climbing up onto the roof. (Actually, Asta ran up the side and Yuno used his magic to propel himself up there, but same thing, right?)</p><p>Asta laid back against the roof and posed his query, about his heart matching his grimoire and everything he'd thought about.</p><p>Yuno looked out into the distance for a moment before shrugging. "...it might not be true, but I think it feels best to see it as your grimoire taking the hits."</p><p>"Why's that?" He asked back, rolling forward to sit up next to Yuno.</p><p>Yuno paused. "...I've always wondered where all your hurt goes, like if you're just hiding it under a smile, sweeping it under the rug…" He turned to Asta and gave him the smile he always gave him. "It's a nice idea to think it goes somewhere-and since we don't really know the answer, there's no point in choosing a bad one, right?"</p><p>Asta blinked before laughing quietly and leaning against Yuno's side. "Thanks, Yuno."</p><p>Yuno's smile grew a little softer as he curled an arm around Asta's shoulders. "Any time."</p><p>They didn't notice the clovers of their grimoires glowing a faint grey-a mix of their stark-contrast black and white-as they huddled as close as they always have and stared at the sunset in the distance.</p><p>(It's rarely been confirmed, but there's an old folktale about people who are closer than most anyone else, no matter their bond, and their clovers glowing a brilliant, faint color when they're happy and close.</p><p>Sister Lily and Father witnessed it the night they obtained their grimoires, but just smiled and turned their heads.</p><p>They already knew their hearts would beat as one.)</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Edit: I keep forgetting to add this sosbdoeb-<br/>Anyways!!! I uh,,,,have a server! It's not set for any specific fandom, it's just there for my friends and people who like my fics to join. It's kinda deserted but I'm trying to liven it up (even if I forgot for a bit,,,,,cou gh) so just join if you'd like to!<br/><a href="https://discord.gg/Tvt5DnW">the server!!</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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